Renegade
by Diaphanous
Summary: Is it not one's wish to turn back time? To take back a cruel word? To stop a mistake? To prevent the apocalypse? If you could turn back time, what would you be willing to do? What would you abandon without a glance back? And would it be worth it?


**Renegade**

**Disclaimer: **Geez, I grow weary of writing these things. I don't own them! Never have, never will. Fuck, I'm so poor…

_000_

Prologue: From The Long Arm of the Law

Zack Fair, ex-SOLDIER First Class, crouched in a defensive stance. He was bloody, bullet-ridden, and tired. But he would not bow nor break. Behind him, partially hidden, was his friend, drooling and defenseless. No, if they wanted Cloud, they'd have to get through him. The infantrymen took aim, clicks from the safeties filling the air.

"Surrender or die!" bellowed the leader. "Shin-ra may decide to have mercy if you come quietly."

Zack laughed. It was a bitter, hard sound. There wasn't a trace of the golden boy from SOLDIER. Too many years at the tender mercies of Hojo and his minions had tarnished his light. "Cliché as ever, I see," he rasped. "Here's another classic: go fuck yourself!" Time held its breath in anticipation.

With a roar of defiance, Zack charged and bullets flew.

The story then began in tragedy as Zack Fair was slain and ended in tragedy as Meteor fell.

If only… if only…

_000_

Part One: Come Sail Away

Cloud Strife jackknifed up in his bed, breathing hard and fast. Sweat dribbled down in rivulets from his pores, soaking his bedding. He flung off his comforter and hauled himself out of bed, his nude body glistening in the moonlight that shone in from the window. Quickly the ex-mercenary/delivery-boy pulled on his riding clothes. He then strapped on his sword harness and swung his multi-blade sword into the leather. With boots in hand, Cloud tiptoed down to the first floor of Seventh Heaven in socked feet. He had no desire to alert anyone to the fact that he was leaving for good.

Edge and Tifa were stifling and he no longer had the desire to even be on this continent. Cloud locked the back door behind him and dropped his keys to the bar into the mailbox. This last night at Seventh Heaven was now over, ended by that familiar nightmare-memory. The blond walked his motorcycle stealthily down the street and as soon as he was a couple blocks away he hopped on and started it. He winced at the rumbling of the engine but drove off.

No note, no warning.

Best of all, he left his PHS behind.

_000_

Part Two: All The Heroes And Legends

Cloud stared down at the Buster Sword, the dirt and rust glaringly obvious even in the light of the setting moon. He reached out with gloved hands and pulled the blade from the earth. The familiar weight was haunting, damning. With sword in hand, he walked over to Fenrir and popped open the blade compartments. He slid that legendary blade into the largest of the holdings and then snapped them closed. The whole First Tsurugi was still strapped to his back as he mounted his bike. He then sped off again.

The sun slowly started to rise as Cloud headed south, crossing over into the Junon area beyond the Midgar Cliffs. Within a couple of hours he entered Junon and hurried off for the next boat of the morning to Costa Del Sol. The eight hour boat ride was horrendous as always and he made it into the resort town just as the sun set. He didn't stop at the Inn and drove onward. There were no stops for food or camp, just pauses for relieving himself or for a drink of water. He skirted around the desert and rode on through the Corel Mountains.

Straight into Nibelheim by the next sunrise.

_69696_

Step.

Step.

Cloud walked calmly through the abandoned mansion. His boots barely made a sound as was habit whenever he visited the places of his past. The blond always tread with caution and care in these places both sacred and horrific. Over his shoulder hung both First Tsurugi and Buster Sword within the same harness that he had designed to hold multiple blades. He entered the basement lab with only a hint of trepidation. He had come all this way, after all.

_Spike, you're here._

_Corporal Strife, I ought to have your head for the state of my sword._

_Hurry up and finish this tale; I grow weary of this eternal limbo. Goddess have mercy…_

_Hello, Cloud._

Cloud snapped a cheeky salute. "I came as you called, sirs," he said. Rumbling laughter echoed in his head from the four dead SOLDIERs First Class.

_Ready? _Came a fifth voice, soft and feminine. Familiar and warm.

"Yes," he answered. He shrugged off his harness, blades and all, and carefully set them down. He laid down on the cold, dusty examination table with a shudder. Cloud was met with darkness as he fell asleep one last time.

Black and white feathers littered the lab floor.

_000_

Part Three: Trapped In Time

A secret room littered with mismatched but comfortable couches was below the Plate. They met as soon as Cloud finished the transition. Aeris and Zack looked so young whilst Cloud looked like a mere child in uniform. Sephiroth was just as tall and foreboding as ever. The familiar sound of turning pages of the book in Genesis' hands was soothing. Angeal rolled his shoulders, still getting used to his living body.

"We know the future. We must stop it," Angeal said softly.

"Wrong," Genesis piped in. "We know a future. An unacceptable one at that. We were all dead save for Strife and he was corked in the head."

"Hey, watch it," Cloud retorted. "I was not corked in the head."

"Says the dude who used to have voices echoing in his brain," Zack asserted with a snicker.

"Says the dude who used to be one of the voices in my brain," the blond snapped back.

"Yes, yes. Let us continue to the matter at hand," Sephiroth admonished. He eyed the sheepish faces directed at him. He then nodded at Aeris. "What do you propose, Miss Gainsborough?"

"Yes, you make the plans since you're the one who insisted on this farce of sending us back in time," the red-headed SOLDIER said, raising a sardonic eyebrow. He ducked the cuff directed at the back of his head by Angeal. "Don't get huffy, 'Geal." He smiled at Aeris to soften his snarky remark to her.

"Well now, first things first, I suppose," Aeris started, clasping her hands. "We kill Hojo, of course." She giggled when all of the men in the room perked up. "Bloodthirsty," she commented in amusement. "Destroy Jenova too. Hmm, let's see…" The last Cetra tapped the perk tip of her nose in thought.

"Well, what else?" Cloud prompted. The men shivered at the shark-like grin that appeared on that usually gentle face.

"You take down Shin-ra from the inside," she answered.

"Sounds like a plan," Angeal said.

Genesis smiled, his mako bright eyes glittering with malice. "Sounds like fun," he purred.

"Agreed," Sephiroth murmured.

Zack jumped up in puppy-like enthusiasm with a hint of dark humor. "Let's hop to it!" he crowed.

"Let's mosey," Cloud said coolly.

_000_

Epilogue: The Judge Will Have Revenge

Nibelheim and its reactor burned to the ground, only a few of the inhabitants surviving and fleeing to Rocket Town.

DeepGround beneath the Shin-ra Building was completely wiped out with Hojo none the wiser.

President Shin-ra died of a 'mysterious' heart attack whilst at the Honey Bee Inn.

Heidegger and Scarlet were found dead below the Midgar Plate, naked with their throats slit.

Several other board members died one by one.

Doctor Hollander was found dead in his lab from poisonous fumes.

Professor Hojo was torn apart by his own animal specimens.

The Turks turned the other cheek to the strange deaths on orders of Rufus.

Rufus Shin-ra and Lazard Deusericus quickly gained control of the company as President and Vice-President respectively.

Slowly and surely the people of the Planet converted to using sustainable and renewable energy sources.

And life went on.

_000_

**END**

Wow, that has got to be the shortest time-travel fic ever! Yay me! XD All titles from Styx songs. Internet cookies for people guessing which lyrics come from which songs! Some are obvious, some not so much.

EDIT: Fixed one of the lines lol. Thx StoryTagger!


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